The BYU Cougars football team continued to load up on seasoned football players the non-traditional way. First, it was former UTEP wide receiver Jordan Leslie for his final season. Next was punt return specialist Keanu Nelson transferring to BYU from Stanford. On Thursday, April 17 the Cougars signed Nebraska transfer Harvey Jackson.

Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 210--pound safety from Fresno, Texas who will graduate from Nebraska this spring with a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He still has one year of college football eligibility remaining and intends to use it playing at BYU.

A solid student at Nebraska, Jackson was named Academic All-Big Ten and to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll during his time in Lincoln.

On the field, Jackson started three games last season for the Huskers and played in 35 games during his four-year Nebraska career. It was a career that included a red shirt season in 2010.

Jackson comes to Provo seeking to crack the BYU starting lineup after the summer. But it is a loaded secondary featuring Notre Dame transfer Chris Badger, along with senior Craig Bills and Robertson Daniel, who converted from cornerback to play the position. That said, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall is still welcoming Jackson with open arms.

"Harvey is an experienced player and a mature individual with excellent character," Mendenhall said in a statement. “He will join our program after graduating in construction management with a business minor. He is a great fit for BYU on and off the field."

Jackson’s Twitter page, which boasts 2,800 followers, is riddled with Biblical references he has posted as well as his re-tweets from well wishers, which include both BYU and Nebraska fans. If there is any animosity from Huskers fans, it certainly doesn’t show in their tweets.

Not only that, Jackson -- who started just four games in his entire playing career at Nebraska -- gets a new lease on his own football career at BYU. The Cougars are loaded from top to bottom with talent and experience and that success -- and a chance to learn from Bronco -- had an impact on Jackson choosing BYU over schools like West Virginia and Cincinnati.

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Brian Shaw is a veteran, award-winning sportswriter, commentator and editor. His work has appeared on Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, The Billings Gazette, The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News and on sports Internet sites and blogs. He has also been an editor and general assignment reporter at many newspapers including The Salt Lake Tribune and Salt Lake City Weekly, He is a graduate of The University of Montana's School of Journalism. You may contact Brian with your comments and questions.